


The Line of Tolerance

by kareofbears



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Anxiety, DAN AND PHIL - Freeform, Homophobia, M/M, Phan - Freeform, Tolerance, a way to express my love for phil lester, mean people :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-26 10:30:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12555472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kareofbears/pseuds/kareofbears
Summary: Tolerance and pain is walking a thin line for Phil. Dan acts as his balance.





	The Line of Tolerance

Phil is a lot of things. Organized, quick-witted, ludicrously creative, annoyingly attractive. He’s terrible at pulling all nighters, an expert at making coffee, quick to help and hardworking to a fault. He’s the the most brilliant, passionate, kindest person you’ll ever meet.

He’s also a people-pleaser. To Dan, that’s the worst thing a nice person can possibly be.

When he was younger, Dan was bullied. Hard. People shoved him, threw slurs at him, had literal rocks thrown at him. And he fought back. He spit fire on those pricks, with insults sharper than knives. He grew a hardened shell from it.

But Phil?

He knows people hurt Phil in the past, but the difference between them is that Phil tolerated it. Too scared, too anxious, too polite to call out others. It’s been years since he’d been stuck in those cement walls of the education system, but the habit has yet to be broken. 

He’s 26 now, with his best friend at 30. Fully-working adults, literal millionaires with a massive audience who would support them to death.

They were walking down crowded streets, chatting about something mundane together. That was until someone bumped into them, almost knocking Phil over. Luckily, Dan was quick to steady him. 

“Oi, watch it!” Dan yelled at the man, who disappeared into the crowd. “Fucker.” Dan mutters under his breath.

Phil, however, looks unbothered and rushed to placate him. He understands how protective Dan can be. “I’m fine! Hardly a scratch on the Phil machine, you see!” To prove his point, he made an exaggerated move to do the wave. Dan laughed.

“Alright, alright. Anyway, about..."

Dan isn’t blind. He notices when Phil squirms in his seat in a crowded coffee shop, eyes darting to see if someone wants to take his place. He observes how Phil never sat on the tube for the same reason. He sees Phil twitch when he hears a group of lads call someone a retard, wanting to correct them, but too socially anxious to do so.

He wants to be Phil’s voice. He wants to shout at everyone to give Phil a seat. He wants to get right into the group and tell them off about their lack of sensitivity. But every time he stands up, every time he turns to glare, Phil always stop him. Grabs him by the arm, and shakes his head quickly. Every time, Dan feels like crying. The man who made him who he is, the man who made him strong and independent, refuses to make himself seem strong in return. He gets a little pissed when someone shoots malicious words, a little more upset when Phil lets it happen. It’s a tall, thin, wobbly tower, on the verge of collapse. Yet, he keeps placing more blocks on the top. 

They walk into a Starbucks not far from their flat. Dan orders a Caramel Macchiato, whilst Phil opts for the Pumpkin Spice latte. The two make quiet conversation, touching shoulders, laughing, having a good time. Then they hear it. 

“What a couple of fucking fags.”

Maybe the man wasn’t talking to them, or maybe he was. It doesn’t matter. All he saw in that moment was that Phil had physically flinched. 

Those two understood that word well. It was the slur that people threw at them in the school halls, the word they see in their YouTube comments on a daily basis. The word Phil’s dad called him when he scraped the courage to come out to his parents. 

Suddenly, Dan’s vision turned red. 

The tower falls. 

He doesn’t remember standing up, doesn’t remember shaking off Phil’s panicked hand when he tried to stop him. All he saw was the man.

“Hey, mate,” Dan greeted casually, though hidden under a thin veil was a venomous tone that was hardly noticeable to anyone who didn’t know him well. To an outsider’s perspective, this could’ve been seen as a friendly conversation.

The man turns to him, confused. “Uh, hey.” 

“Yeah, hi. Do you mind watching your fucking words please? That was pretty offensive, pal.” Dan tended to ironically cast terms of endearments to anybody he was pissed at. People in the cafe were starting to take notice, recognizing who they were and curious what’s going down. Some even pulling out their phones to record the inevitable fight. He couldn’t find it in himself to give a damn.

To Dan’s surprise, the man laughed in his face. 

“Sorry, did I accidentally offend you, faggot?” Stepping forward, he gave Dan a light shove. 

Then the man was on the floor.

Phil was beside him, fist outstretched and breathing heavily with wide, blazing eyes. 

Dan’s eyes were saucers. “Holy shit.” He whispered. 

Phil grabbed his arm. “We’ve got to get out of here.” He whispered urgently. He saw that man starting to stir. “Now!” 

The two had speed-walked their way out of the Starbucks, and broke into a sprint as soon as they were outside the cafe. They didn’t stop until the door was slammed behind them, and they were safe in their flat. 

Seeing him and Phil panting heavily on the floor, ready for death, he realized how unfit they really were. Time to crack open their ‘cool shoes’ once again, he thought, and nearly laughed. Then Dan realized what had just happened. 

“You punched someone.” Dan said, amazed. 

Phil grinned sheepishly, scratching his head. “Yeah, my fist hurts like hell.”

He decided to test the waters. “There were cameras. People are going to see that.” Dan reminded him, an eyebrow raised.

Phil hesitated. “Well, I guess they will.” 

Dan strode forward, and hugged him tightly. 

“I’m so proud of you.” Dan whispered, voice breaking.

After a moment of silence, Phil hugged him back.

“Love you. Thank you, Dan.” He muttered. 

Phil’s problem isn’t solved, not by a long shot. But it is the first time that progress had taken a step in the right direction. That’s incredible, and Dan felt himself fall in love a little more.

They stayed standing, hugging, for a good while, before letting go.

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i really dont know how to feel for this one, so feedback would be incredible :D


End file.
